On September 22, 2025, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will resume the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution – a key initiative aimed at advancing peace in the Middle East.
Co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France during the 80th session of the UNGA, the conference will underscore commitments to the two-state solution and mobilize support for its implementation.
The conference takes place at a critical moment in the nearly two-year war, where the death toll has exceeded 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military is pressing ahead with its ground incursion into Gaza City, forcing 450,000 Palestinians to flee the Strip’s largest urban hub, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
Saudi Arabia Taking the Lead
On Friday night, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, departed for New York to head Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the high-level UN gathering, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
As a strong advocate for peace and humanitarian efforts, the Kingdom will host several initiatives and meetings to strengthen regional and international security and stability, and promote diplomatic, humanitarian and development efforts.
In the light of this, Saudi Arabia will chair the Two-State Solution Conference at the leaders’ level, in addition to the high-level ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
The Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, will deliver a statement by video or a pre-recorded message at the high-level Two-State Solution Conference, which the Kingdom will co-chair alongside France.
Promoting International Action
The Kingdom’s delegation, which will also take part in the UN’s 80th anniversary, involves senior Saudi diplomats and officials. The delegation includes the Saudi Ambassador to the US, Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud; and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Member, and Climate Envoy, Adel Al-Jubeir.
Furthermore, the Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal Alibrahim; and Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor-General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, are among the delegation.
It also includes Deputy Minister for International Multilateral Affairs and General Supervisor of the Public Diplomacy Deputyship, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi; and Saudi Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz Alwasil.
The Saudi delegation will join multiple official meetings aimed at enhancing multilateral action, discussing the latest regional and international developments and efforts made toward addressing establishing international peace and security, and coordinating efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Two-State Solution
In the light of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, and Israeli plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, nations will gather at the UNGA to push a two-state solution that will bring the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict to an end.
The two-state solution envisions the establishment of an independent Palestinian State along the 1967 borders (which involves the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip), with East Jerusalem as its capital, allowing Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in independent nations.
The initiative gathered international momentum at the Two-State Solution Conference, held in late July 2025 in New York, which aimed to take concrete, time-bound and irreversible measures for a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian cause and move forward with the implementation of the two-state solution.
UN Endorsement
Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly decided to resume the conference during its 80th session on September 22, upon a Saudi draft oral resolution which reaffirmed that “the situation on the ground in Palestine has never been more dire” and “it is precisely at this moment that the momentum towards peace must be maintained.”
With regards to this, the UNGA endorsed the New York Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel – the outcome of the July conference, led by Saudi Arabia and France.
The declaration charts a roadmap for the achievement of the two-state solution, which includes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign.
It also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalization between the Arab countries and Israel, and collective security guarantees.
Recognition of Palestine
Currently, about 147 out of the 193 UN member states recognize the State of Palestine, which holds a non-member observer status at the UN General Assembly since November 2012.
Saudi Arabia has spearheaded an intensive diplomatic push for the recognition of Palestine as a viable way to advance the two-state solution. These efforts included launching the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in September 2024, in partnership with Norway and the European Union (EU).
Saudi Arabia’s efforts to mobilize support for the two-state solution have culminated in a series of Palestine recognition by countries, including Spain, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, Armenia and the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda.
Moreover, France unveiled plans to formally recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly, in a historic announcement that underscored Saudi Arabia’s intensive diplomatic efforts.
Shortly after, more countries decided to follow suit. The UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg, among others, are expected to make similar announcements in the high-level meeting.
